Love Purple and Live Gold Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 0.5 teaspoons almond extract 
• 2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder 
• 0.5 cup butter softened
• 1 cup butter softened
• 1 cup buttermilk 
• 4 large eggs 
• 2 drops purple gel food coloring 
• 1 cups baking mix 
• 32 oz powdered sugar 
• 0.3 teaspoon salt 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup shortening 
• 2 cups sugar 
• 24 servings sugar yellow
• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste 
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 2.8 cups flour all-purpose
• 0.5 cup whipping cream 

Equipment

• oven
• hand mixer
• wooden spoon

Directions

1. Prepare Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 35
2. Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well.
3. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
4. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in extracts.
5. Place paper baking cups in 2 (12-cup) muffin pans, and coat with cooking spray; spoon batter into cups, filling two-thirds full.
6. Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 45 minutes).
7. Prepare Frosting: Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed 2 minutes or until creamy.
8. Remove and reserve 11/2 cups frosting for cupcake filling. Stir food coloring into remaining frosting until blended.
9. Insert the end of a wooden spoon or dowel into the center of each cupcake to make a hole. Spoon 11/2 cups reserved frosting into a zip-top plastic freezer bag. Snip 1 corner of bag to make a small hole. Pipe a generous amount of frosting into each cupcake.
10. Spoon purple frosting into a zip-top plastic freezer bag. Snip 1 corner of bag to make a hole. Pipe frosting on cupcakes; sprinkle with yellow sanding sugar.